Improvement in air-compressing engines



J. F. HA SKINS.

Improvement in Air-Compressing Engines.

N0.130,296. Y Patented Aug. 6,1872.

W'Znessean Arewzvn pumw W fli 7Q worked by steam or other'vapor.

" UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. HASKINS, OF FITOHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN AIR-COMPRESSING ENGINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 130,296, dated August 6, 1872.

To cill'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. HASKINS, of Fitchburg, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Air-Compressing Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing which accompanies and forms part of this specification, is a description of my invention sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to practice it.

The invention relates to details of construction of air-compressing engines, which details will be 'best understood from a direct descriptionof the machine.

The drawingrepresents, in front elevation and in vertical section, an engine embodying the improvements.

a denotes the bed-plate; b, a column or upright frame for supporting the compressor-cylinder and the con'n ections of said cylinder with the steam-engine that works the compressorpiston. c is the cylinder of a common upright trunk engine, the piston of which is attached to the foot of a trunk-rod, d, the engine being 6 is the compressor-cylinder standing on a base, fywhich is an integral projection from the upright frame b. The air compressed at opposite ends of the compressor-cylinder is led by suitable conduits to the accumulating tank or reservoir, and one part of the invention consists in forming the frame or stand b'hollow, utilizing the chamber h of the structure as the accumulating-tank, and obtaining, by this construction, a strong and convenient tank and a rigid and Well-proportioned frame all in one structure. Into this tank leads the air-passage k, controlled by a check-valve, l. This valve rests upon its seat m by its weight, and rises therefrom and admits the air to the tank by the pressure of the air, or when said pressure is sufficient to overcome its weight. The valve is fixed to the bottom ofa screw-stem, a, workin g in a nut-thread, o, and, when the compressor forms one of a series of compressors whose tanks connect, either compressor may be thrown out of connection with its tank by screwing the valve down to its seat, the valve being thus a stop-valve as well as a check-valve for controlling admission of air and preventing its retreat. The air compressed in the upper end of the cylinder passes through an outlet-passage, 12, down into the valve-passage kyand thence by the valve Zinto the tank h, and the air compressed in the lower part of the cylinder passes directly into the passage k, and thence by the valve 1 into the tank h. g denotes the trunk-rod of the compressor-piston. This rod is connected to the trunk-rod cl of the engine by a yoke, 1', and to this yoke is jointed the upper end of a link, 8, as seen at t, whose lower end is jointed to a crank-arm, u, on the end of a fly-wheel shaft, '0. The tank his cast with a horizontal tube, w, through which the fly-wheel shaft extends, said shaft having, on its outer end, a fly-wheel, w, the tube 20 obviating the necessity of packing the shaft, as would be essential if the shaft passed directly through the tank-chamber The yoke is made with an open space, :1 to permit of the vibratory movements of the connectin grod swithin the yoke, and said yoke is connected to the top of the trunk-rod d by a pin, 2, and to the bottom of 'the'trunk-rod g by a pin or bolt, t. The compressor-cylinder trunk-rod q is, preferably, made in two parts, b 0 and the piston in two parts, d 6 The upper piston d is made with an annular chamber, f communicating with the trunk or inner space of the piston q through openings 71?, and said piston has a series of air-passages, 9 upon which passages rest wings or segments "i of a valve, 70 This valve k is made of a thin circular disk of metal, having scores 1 cut from its periphery, thereby forming the segments 1?, each of which segments covers one of the-passages 9 The piston d is shouldered or turned down, as seen at W, and the shoulder rests upon the valve and holds its central part upon the piston, While, by pressure of air through the passages g the wings or segments 1' will lift to let the air through, closing again when said pressure is withdrawn. In the same manner the part c is made with achamber, g, and

passages 2', which passages are normally closed by the flap-segments j of a valve, a", pressure of the air through the passages i forcing the segments awayfrom the mouths of the passages and letting the air into the lower chamber of the compressor-cylinder, and said segments returning to their normal position and closing the passages when said pressure ceases. When the parts are in position the two pistons are locked together and form, in effect, but one, the piston 6 being, preferably, made with a head that extends slightly into the chamber f The piston q is, preferably, made with peripheral scores or grooves 10 by which packingrings are formed of air or water, that serve to keep the pistons from leakage. The pistons, valves, and trunks are all connected by one bolt, that extends through the trunks b 0 and the same pin, 0 that connects the lower end of said bolt to the lower end of the trunk connects the trunk to the top of the yoke 1". Thus, not only is a rigid connection effected by this one bolt of all the mechanism of the trunks and pistons and piston-valves, but by removing the nut 2 and pin 0 all the piston, piston-valve, and piston-trunk mechanism will fall apart, their entire dismemberment and their entire connection beingthus effected with very slight manipulation of the parts. By raising the said bolt I also raise the dischargevalve 4 and cap 8 and thus permit all these parts to be inspected or repaired without dismemberment, or to be drawn out together for dismemberment when any parts need replacing or to be removed for repairs. 1' denotes the discharge-valve over the piston, and t the lower discharge-valve. When the piston is on its upward stroke the valve r is pressed up and leaves the air-passage 1; open for passage of the compressed air to the tank, and when the piston begins its down stroke the valve 1 drops upon its seat 10 so that the air thus compressed cannot return. So with the valve t When the pistonis on its down stroke the valve rests upon a seat, 0 and the compressed air escapes into the tank through the passage 70, while, when the piston starts up, this valve shuts against the seat 0 and prevents the return of the compressed air. The trunk-rod slides through the valve 1, and the neck 10 of said valve extends into the cap 3 and to ack the valve around the trunk and the valveneck within the cap, the neck is made with internal and external scores or annular grooves, 00 which, filling more or less with water, thereby form packing-rings having a minimum of friction, but serving effectually to prevent escape of air. The valve t is similarly made, with inner and outer scores or grooves 3 for the same purpose. The piston of the enginecylinder is made with a lower surface correspondin g to the cross-sectional area of the interior of the cylinder, but the upper surface of the cylinder is less large than the lower surface by the size of the trunk-piston, and I make the difference in said areas to correspond to the weight of the yoke r and link 8, the weight of which aids the down stroke of the enginepistonthis weight, added to the force exerted by the motive fluid upon the upper side of the piston, being made to just correspond withv the force exerted upon the whole lower surface of the piston.

All of these features are of value in making a compact, cheap, and effective compressor, and by theinvention I am enabled to make amore effective compressor than has ever before been built.

I claim- 1. An air-compressor engine, having the motive-engine, the compressor-en gine,and the con nections of said engines together, all in one vertical line, substantially as shown and described.

2. In combination with the trunk-rod d and trunk-rod g, the connecting-yoke a" and fly-wheel connector or link 8, substantially as shown and described.

3. The piston-trunks b 0 pistons d 0 and piston-valves k W, all connected and secured together and in place by the bolt g substantially as shown and described.

4. The discharge-valve r cap 8 trunks b 0 pistons d 6 and valves k 02 all connected by the bolt in such manner that all may be raised together, or together lowered into and upon the cylinder, substantially as shown and described.

5. The valves k W, each formed of a disk of metal perforated atits center, and with flexible radial wings or segments 47, made by cutting the scores 1 substantially as shown and described.

6. The aircompressor piston, made in the parts d 6 substantially as shown and described.

7. In combination with the tank h, the flywheel shaft, extending through the tank-tube 20, substantially as shown and described.

JOHN F. HASKINS.

YVitnesses:

FRANCIS GOULD, M. W. FROTHINGHAM. 

